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The chamber to which she was taken was small but comfortably furnished. Though Glenda longed for nothing more than to crawl deep within the depths of the feather bed on the far wall, she knew the proper respects to their host must first be dispensed. Indeed, by the time she’d washed the coating of dust from her body, hunger gnawed at her belly.
    When she returned downstairs, Egan was already seated at table. Dugan rose and seated her several chairs to his right, while Egan was placed directly opposite her. Nor, it seemed, were they the only guests. Glenda nodded and murmured greetings while Dugan introduced various guests—his cousinClarice and her husband Alpin, an Englishman, Robin of Chadwick, his knights David, Michael and Edward.
    Very soon the table overflowed with food. There was an assortment of fish, whole roasted hen and hare, stuffed piglet, stewed fruits and an abundance of wine.
    The man next to Egan was Robin of Chadwick. Dark-haired and dark-eyed, the neck and sleeves of his tunic were trimmed with fur. As the meal progressed, more and more he fixed his unbending scrutiny upon her; so piercing was it she grew uneasy. When at last he propped his chin upon his hand and stared, Glenda could abide it no longer.
    She turned her own regard upon him full tilt.
    “Must you stare at me, sir?”
    His teeth gleamed against the darkness of his beard. “How can a man help it when there is such beauty to behold?”
    “’Ah, but ’twould seem there is an abundance of beauty here this night.” Egan cut in smoothly, then gestured toward the far end of the table, where several ladies were engaged in conversation. “In particular, the one gowned in red velvet.”
    Three pair of eyes swung to the far end of the table. As if she knew she was the subject under discussion, the woman threw back her head and laughed, displaying the arch of her slender white throat. In the very next instant, she chanced to glance at them…it was Egan upon whom her attention resided the longest.
    Without breaking the hold of their eyes, she inclined her head with a ruby-lipped smile, in silent acknowledgment of him.
    There was a strange pinch in Glenda’s chest. She turned her gaze away, but Robin’s disclosure reached her ears.
    “That is Elfrida.” He laughed softly. “She gives her favors quite freely, I fear. Not a quality one wants in a wife, eh? Ah, but when it comes to entertainment for a night, ’tis oft precisely what a man needs.”
    His meaning was clear. Startled by such boldness, Glenda felt a hot tide of color rush to her face. Egan’s response was lost on her, for just then Dugan spoke her name.
    Very soon the last dish was served. Glenda was vastly relieved, for she was suddenly anxious to quit the repast and seek her bed. Rising, she thanked Dugan for the meal and his hospitality.
    ’Twas then that she felt the touch of Egan’s eyes upon her. He had risen to his feet as well.
    “Glenda, wait. I will escort you to your room.”
    She adopted a smile. “There is no need. I can find my way to my room quite well.” Though her tone was pleasantly even, she did not look at his face as she spoke—she could not, for something within her did not wish to know what Egan thought of the lady Elfrida’s conduct.
    Yet just before she turned from the table, a swirl of red velvet flashed in her line of vision. She saw that Elfrida was at his side, deftly slipping a hand into the crook of his elbow. It seemed the lady returned his interest in full measure.
    “We’ve not yet had the opportunity to speak. I should like to rectify that, sir. Will you tell me of therugged Highlands?” She gave a clear, tinkling laugh and ran the tip of a finger down his sleeve. “I daresay they are as rugged as you, are they not?”
    There was an odd constriction in her chest. She told herself both were entitled to pursue their pleasures, but deep inside, she did not approve of such displays of wantonness before others.
    She didn’t wait to hear